Wiee and slat fabeio weaving machine



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet I.

' W. G. PRATT.

WIRE AND SLAT FABRIC WEAVING MACHINE.

No. 514,496. Patented Feb. 13, 1 94,

m'vesses a 06 A (No Model.) 2 S heetsSheet 2.

W. 0..PRATT.

WIRE AND SLAT FABRIC WEAVING DZIAGHINE. N Q. 514,496. Patented Feb. 13, 1894.

llNiTED STATES PATENT Fries.

\VALTER C. PRATT, OF LANSING, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF TVVO-THIRDS TO GEORGE A. COGKBURN AND JOHN C. FRENCH, OF SAME PLACE.

WIRE-AND-SLAT-FABRIC-WEAVING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,496, dated February 1 3, 1894..

Application filed April 21 1893. Serial No. 471,256. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER O. PRATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lansing, in the county of Ingham and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in IVire-and-Slat-Fabric- Weaving Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction of the wire twisting mechanism, the actuating devices therefor and further in the peculiar construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts, all as more fully hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross section on line as min Fig. Fig.4 is a vertical, central longitudinal section through the clutch device. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the bed of the machine, illustrating the position and arrangement of the wires, due, when inserting a slat. Fig. 6 is a vertical section centrally through one of the twisters and the fabric clamp. Fig. 7 is an elevation of the twister head. Fig. Sis aside elevation of the frame with the clamping bar and lever for actuating the clamping bar.

A is the frame of the machine.

B are rails on the top on which run wheels 0 journaled on stub axles on the twister wheel carriage. This carriage is preferably formed of end bars D connected and spaced by cross bars E at the ends. The twisters are formed of tubes F j ournaled in the end bars.

F are twister heads secured to the forward end of the tubes and provided with a central aperture a. for the main wire 0, and the apertures b beside the main aperture at varying distances therefrom for the binding wire cl. The tube is provided with a longitudinal slot 6 terminating in an eye f, and g are spools upon which the binding wires are wound. The heads F are adj ustably secured upon the tube in any suitable manner. I have shown them screw-threaded at the end of the tube and a set screw F for holding them in their adjusted position.

G are sprocket wheels on the tubes F. The

end tubes F are adjustable to and from each other in slots G, so that the distance between the wires on the fabric may be adjusted as desired. These sprocket wheels and the tubes are driven by means of a sprocket chain H, which passes over the end sprocket wheels and beneath the middle one and around the sprocket wheel H on the driven shaft H in the lower part of the frame of the nachine. This wheel II is loosely sleeved to the shaft beside a collar I fixed to the shaft, and the wheel and collar are provided with interlocking teeth I.

J is a spring secured in complementary grooves in the collar and sprocket wheel acting with its tension to normally hold them apart, so that the interlocking teeth will be separated and therefore so that the shaft will revolve without carrying with it the sprocket wheel.

To throw the sprocket wheel and the machine into operation, I preferably employ the following mechanism: J is an extension of the hub of the wheel H and it is provided on its periphery with a worm J J 3 is an actuatin g foot lever having a spring latch J 4 in its end. To start the machine, the operator presses down on the foot lever, which will cause the latch J 4 to press against the end of the worm screw J as shown in Fig. 2, come.

resSin" the s rin J and causin the interlocking teeth I on the teeth and collar to be engaged, and thus cause the wheel to rotate with the sh aft. As the wheel rotates the latch J 4 which is held in contact with the thread of the worm will be fed forward in the worm until it reaches the end thereof and is freed from contact with the thread when the spring I will be free to act again and will separate the parts. When the operator releases his pressure on the foot lever J a spring J will return the lever to its initial position ready for another operation. Thus I am enabled to drive the twisters from a constantly revolving shaft intermittently and with only a limited period of actuation. J 6 is a stop for the arm of the lever J which carries the spring latch and by adjusting this pin in or out, the spring J 5 will carry the lever back to the desired point of adjustment or contact upon the worm J 2 so that the period of actuation may be varied at will. That is to say when the wheel is to be turned but a portion of its full extent of movement, the stop is adjusted to limit the backward, movement of the latch to a point where it will engage the thread of the worm intermediate of the ends thereof so that the clutch period will be of smaller duration. It is evident that if desired the twister wheels may be driven by hand power by any suitable actuating mechanism, not shown. It is also evident that the sprocket chain connected in this manner will allow of the forward and backward movement of the carriage without affecting its driving power. In adjusting the twister tubes to and from each other the chain I-I maybe lengthened or shortened in any desired manner. L is a hand lever pivoted at one side of the frame, connected to the carriage and extending beyond the other side, by means of which the carriage may be reciprocated forward and back. N is a table at the forward end of the frame having its edge in line with the main wire 0, and preferably provided on that edge with grooves h to receive said main wire. 0 is a clamping bar provided at its lower edge with the metallic plate 0 provided with grooves O on its lower face, of a size corresponding substantially to the size of the binding wire. P is a lever for actuating said clamping bar. Q is a guide bar supported upon the links Q which are pivoted at the lower ends to the frame. Ris a crank connected with the pivotal point of said links. It is a connecting rod connecting said crank with the carriage. The upper face of the guide bar Q is provided with a series of grooves T corresponding with the size, number and location of the main Wires 0.

The parts being thus constructed, their operation is as follows: The main wire and the binder wire are arranged and supplied to the twisters as shown in Fig. 6, and the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the carriage at the rear of its travel and the guide bar Q arranged horizontally across the forward end of the twister heads, with the main wires 0 in the grooves T in said guide bar, thus presenting a smooth top on said bar over which the slat to be woven in may be passed beneath the binding wire. The operator now draws upon the lever L moving the carriage forward; the forward end of the carriage will Strike the guide bar Q rocking it out of the way and force the last slat up against the end of the'fabric previously formed, into the position shown in Fig. 6. The operator now presses on the lever P which draws the clamping bar 0 upon the fabric, the binding wire engaging in the grooves O of the bar 0. To throw the machine into operation, the operator now steps upon the foot lever J 3 which causes the clutch mechanism to be thrown into engagement and rotate the twister wheels the desired number of times, twisting the binding wire about the main wire and tightly binding the slat in position, as shown in Fig.

6. By having the grooves O in the clamping plate 0 I get a sharp bend and a tight binding of the binding wire about the slat.

U is a cutting disk journaled in a bracket U and extending forward from the clamping bar 0 to score the end of the slats at the point they are to be out OK to insure an even width to the fabric.

Instead of having the clamping bar movable and actuated by means of the lever P, I may simply set it, so that the slats will press tightly between the wires engaging in the grooves 0 the bar being sufficiently near to the table N that in twisting these wires can not move out of thegrooves.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a slat and wire fabric weaving ma chine, the combination with a frame, a reciprocating carriage thereon, a twister wheel on the carriage, a table having an even top in which a series of transverse grooves orindentations are formed,a clamping bar formed with an even under face having a series of transverse grooves cut therein, and means for actuating the clamping bar, substantially as described.

2. In a slat-and-wirefabric Weaving machine, the combination of the frame A, a reciprocating carriage thereon carrying the twisters, and a movable guide bar in front of the twisters to support the slat while being entered between the wires, substantially as described.

3. In a slat-and-wire-fabric weaving machine, the combination with the frame, a reciprocating carriage thereon, the twisters journaled therein, of a guide bar pivoted in front of the carriage, having grooves for the reception of the lower strand of wire, the parts arranged and operating substantially as described.

4. In a slat-and -wire fabric weaving ma chine, the combination of the frame, a reciprocating carriage thereon, the twisters journaled therein, of a guide bar supported at the upper end of pivoted links arranged in front of the twisters in the initial position of the carriage, adapted to be rocked out of the path of the carriage in its forward movement, and a connection from the carriage to the bar, whereby it is rocked into operative position on the return of the carriage, substantially as described.

5. In a slat-and-Wirefabric-WeaVing machine, the combination of the twister frame, the twisters journaled therein and consisting of tubes, binding wire carrying spools supported on the tubes, longitudinal slots in the sides of said tubes, a twister head at the end of the tubes, rotatorily adjustable thereon having a central aperture and a series of three or more apertures beside the central aperture each arranged at varying distances from the center, substantially as described.

6. In a slat-and-wire-fabric weaving machine, the combination of the twisters, adrive mechanism therefor, a constantly revolving drive shaft, a drive wheel thereon connected to the drive mechanism of the twisters, a clutch between the drive wheel and shaft, means for connecting the clutch and shaft, means for automatically breaking said connection, and an adjustment for varying the period of actuation, substantially as described.

7. In a slat-and-wire-fabric weaving machine, the combination of the twisters, a re-' ciprocating carriage in which they are journaled, a drive mechanism for the twisters, comprising a constantly revolving shaft, and means for intermittently connecting said twisters and shaft, substantially as described.

8. In a slat-and-wire-fabric weaving machine, the combination of the twisters, a reciprocating carriage in which they are journaled, a drive mechanism for the twisters comprising a constantly revolving shaft, a sprocket wheel sleeved thereon a sprocket chain connecting the twister wheels withsaid sprocket wheel on the shaft, a clutch connection between the shaft and sprocket wheel, and adjustable means for breaking the connection at the end of the desired movement, substantially as described.

9. In a slat and wire fabric weaving machine, the combination, with the twisters, of a drive mechanism therefor comprising a constantly revolving shaft, a clutch in the drive mechanism consisting of a fixed and a loose member, a drive wheel on the loose member, a spring for normally separating the members, a screw on the loose member, and a lever engaging the threads of the screw for 5 forcing the members together, substantially as described.

10. In a slat and wire fabric weaving machine, the combination, with the 'twisters, of a drive mechanism therefor comprising a constantly revolving shaft, a clutch in the drive mechanism consisting of a fixed and a loose member, a drive wheel on the loose member, a spring for normally separating the members, a screw on the loose member, a pivoted arm, a latch on the arm engaging the threads of the screw, and a lever for actuating the arm, substantially as described.

11. In a slat and wire fabric weaving machine, the combination, with the twisters, of a drive mechanism therefor comprising a constantly revolving shaft, a clutch in the drive mechanism consisting of a fixed and a loose member, a drive wheel on the loose member, a spring for normally separating the members, a screw on the loose member, a pivoted arm, a spring latch on the arm engaging the screw, a lever and spring for actuating the arm, and an adjustable stop for the arm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER G. PRATT.

Witnesses:

' M. B. ODoennnrv,

JAMES WHITTEMORE. 

